Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™

 Dyneema® is 15 times stronger than steel, and 40% stronger than aramids on a weight-for-weight basis. 

Dyneema® floats on water and is ideal for lightweight solutions. 

Dyneema® is chemically inert. Independent studies have confirmed that Dyneema® performs well in dry, wet, salty and humid conditions, as well as other situations where chemicals are present.

Products made with Dyneema® fiber show strong resistance to photo degradation when exposed to UV light. The high UV resistance of the fiber ensures continuing high performance. 

Dyneema® fiber is hydrophobic. It resists water absorption, providing an extra level of protection and durability. 

Dyneema® fiber can withstand the harshest environments for a longer time. This is due to its inherent strength, and its resistance to many damaging chemical agents.

Dyneema^®, stands for nothing less than the highest levels of safety at work. Protection at work has never been more important. Employees want high quality, comfortable protection that won’t affect the quality of their work. Employers want high quality, cost-effective protection that enables them to comply with rigorous safety regulations. That’s why we’re proud to say that gloves made with Dyneema^® meet all these requirements. It provides incredibly tough protection against mechanical hazards combined with an outstanding sensitivity and cost-effectiveness. Dyneema^® is the world’s strongest fiber (15 times stronger than steel on a weight for weight basis). This makes it possible to offer high levels of protection against mechanical hazards even with lightweight yarns and gloves. Being much thinner and more flexible than traditional materials, such as leather and cotton, gloves made with Dyneema fiber will not feel like gloves. Employees will appreciate this comfort, combined with higher protection, and consequently are more likely to wear them at all times. Besides the high abrasion resistance, gloves made with Dyneema can be washed and re-used several times, increasing the lifetime of the gloves. Employees will also wear comfortable gloves for longer periods, reducing injuries and the associated costs. That’s why gloves made with Dyneema are increasingly used in manufacturing and industrial environments as the trend moves towards higher levels of hand protection and comfort. Dyneema fibers are highly versatile and can provide numerous forms of hand and lower-arm protection to demanding manufacturing and industrial environments worldwide:

• Automotive
• Glass
• Paper
• Food
• Household equipment
• Steel
• Construction
• Emergency services

Dyneema fiber is suitable for a wide variety of engineered yarns, spun yarns or a combination of both. Dyneema is the HPPE-fiber most suitable for spun yarn manufacturing, be it pure Dyneema or blends with polyamide and polyester. Dyneema is also used extensively in engineered yarns, especially in combination with fiber glass and steel fiber. These combinations achieve the highest level of cut resistance while preserving comfort and sensitivity. Furthermore Dyneema has established an outstanding reputation for its suitability for use in coated gloves in combination with strech yarns like Lycra^®.

The world’s demand for energy intensifies, and exploration, drilling, pipe laying and extraction move farther offshore and into deeper and more challenging environments. It is crucial to have lines and ropes that not only can withstand additional stresses but also are easy to transport and maneuver. For scenarios such as ultra-deep moorings, lines made from conventional steel wire and other synthetics become too heavy or bulky and difficult to handle. Because Dyneema® fiber is so much stronger than steel, lines of similar diameter and strength weigh only one-seventh as much as steel wire. Compared to other synthetics like polyester, Dyneema® fiber offers much narrower diameters at the same strength. Light and thin ropes and lines made from Dyneema® fiber enable fast and easy handling. For example, installation for pre-set MODU mooring systems with lines made of Dyneema® is up to 40% faster than with polyester ropes. For moorings down to 10,000 feet, reduced diameter means three times more rope can be rolled onto reels, saving trips. Lines made with Dyneema® enable faster hoisting than steel lines, using the same winch. Because this fiber floats, ropes are neutrally buoyant and easy for ROV or divers to handle under water. Other important benefits of Dyneema are lower system cost, higher productivity and reduced impact on workers and machinery. Savings come from faster installation, hook-up and decommissioning, and use of smaller buoys and smaller handling vessels. For workers, lightweight and smooth lines accelerate job completion and significantly reduce back strain as well as wounds from steel wire “fishhooks.” Dyneema® fiber also helps protect boats and equipment through reduced abrasion. Ropes with Dyneema® outperform traditional ropes in terms of tension and bending fatigue. They have minimal elongation for greater precision in placement of equipment or pipes. The fiber is resistant to most chemicals, has good UV resistance, is not affected by salt and does not absorb water. Offshore applications for Dyneema® fiber include mooring ropes, turret pull-in ropes, stinger ropes, anchor retrieval lines and riser tensioning ropes.

The trend towards larger, heavier vessels is driving the demand for stronger mooring and tugging ropes. This is valid e.g. for container carriers, bulk cargo vessels, as well as RoRo and Navy ships. Conventional steel-wire and other synthetic ropes become too heavy, bulky, and difficult to handle. Ropes with Dyneema® are as strong as steel-wire rope of the same diameter, yet they are less than one-seventh the weight. In addition, a rope with Dyneema® is about 60% of the diameter and 30% of the weight of an equally strong polyester or nylon rope. So mooring lines made with Dyneema® are not only strong enough to secure today’s larger vessels, they are also much lighter and easier to handle than other types of ropes. Ropes with Dyneema® outperform steel wire and synthetic ropes in terms of tension and bending fatigue and abrasion resistance. They also float on water. Dyneema® fiber is resistant to most chemicals, has good UV resistance, is not affected by salt and does not absorb water. Increasingly stringent health and safety regulations coupled with the need to lower operational costs have also propelled the market demand for ropes with Dyneema®. Due to their low weight, ropes with Dyneema® are easier to handle which can reduce mooring times, ultimately improving vessel efficiency. Furthermore, it helps cut the physical workload for the crewmembers onboard and fewer back and hand injuries can be expected because these ropes are soft and much lighter.  Due to its low elongation there is minimal risk of potentially damaging backlash when a mooring line breaks. Mooring lines made with Dyneema® have an increased service life compared to both steel wire and synthetic ropes. In fact, the lifetime is at least 2 times longer, depending on the specific situation made with Dyneema® offer many economic and safety advantages over steel wire and other synthetic ropes. They are stronger, lighter, easier to handle, safer, require less maintenance and are more durable. All these benefits result in an overall significantly lower cost over the entire service life of the rope.

Dyneema® is ideal for high performance applications both in yacht racing and performance cruising. Yachting lines, a/o sheets and halyards, made from Dyneema® are up to 30 percent lighter than LCP- or aramid based lines of the same strength and have only half the weight of polyester lines. They deliver exceptional performance in tension and bending fatigue, abrasion and UV resistance. Rigging made with Dyneema® is used extensively by the world’s leading sailors in highly demanding competitive regattas events such as the America’s Cup, Vendée Globe and Volvo Ocean Race. Additionally, Dyneema® fibers are used in sailcloth applications that are extremely light weight, Weight reductions by more than 25% are achieved compared to other materials while combining exceptional strength, performance and durability. 

Fishing lines made with Dyneema® are very popular with professional sports anglers. They are much thinner than nylon fishing lines, making them less visible and easier to cast. Due to the low elongation of Dyneema®, anglers can really ‘feel the fish bite’ and react more quickly. Fishing lines made with Dyneema® are extremely resistant to abrasion. In addition, they have no memory which means the line will retain its original shape after spooling.

 Kite and Parapent lines benefit from the extraordinary strength of Dyneema® as they can have a maximum breaking strength for the lowest diameter. Also the lines are smoother, which make it easier to disentangle. Because of the low stretch of Dyneema® users can better feel the connection with the kite, which makes steering easy. Kite and Parapent lines made with Dyneema® are also highly reliable, due to their excellent resistance to abrasion, aging, bending, and peak loading. Next to the above mentioned applications Dyneema® is used in several other sports applications, like: bow strings for archery, fencing suits, 4×4 pulling lines, gliding lines and helmets. 

With its inherent high strength and low weigth Dyneema® is fast becoming the material of choice for heavy lifting slings. It replaces traditional steel wire and synthetic ropes in the building and construction market, as well as in the offshore, production and heavy transport industry. Traditionally steel wire is used for heavy lifting slings in various industrial markets. However steel wires can become very heavy, making them more dangerous and difficult to handle. Slings with Dyneema® are as strong as slings from steel wire of similar diameter, yet they are much lower in weight. This makes them easier to handle. Besides the strength and weight benefits, the smooth soft exterior of Dyneema® helps prevent damage to the goods being handled, which is particularly important when lifting valuable assets. Thanks to its good abrasion resistance, sharp edges and abrasive surfaces will not significantly affect slings made with Dyneema®. Moreover, slings with Dyneema® have a very low stretch, comparable to that of steel. Slings with Dyneema® enable precise placement of large and heavy parts, which is important in many building and production processes. Lifting slings made with Dyneema® also have a longer service life compared to both steel wire and synthetic ropes. Depending on the specific situation, slings made with Dyneema® offer many economic and safety advantages over slings made from steel wire and other synthetics. They are stronger, lighter, easier to handle, safer, require less maintenance and are more durable, which can significantly lower cost over the entire service life of the sling.

 The high demand for fish puts a lot of pressure on the aquaculture industry to increase capacity. Innovations in the field lead to improve efficiency and enabling technologies. Products made with Dyneema® play a prominent role. Nets made with Dyneema® fibers are up to a third of the weight compared to traditional nylon, and have smaller twine diameters. This results in a reduced drag from current and waves, thereby improving net stability and improving the environment for the fish inside. The well-being of the fish is further enhanced by the improved fresh water flow. Maintance costs are reduced since the thinner nets need less antifoulant and repairs to the net are reduced considerably. One special feature, which is very important when farming fishbiting species such as sea-bream or cod, is the high bite-resistance of netting made with Dyneema® fiber. This extends the lifetime of the nets and significantly reduces the number of escapes and necessary repairs. Of course, in addition to the challenge of keeping the fish in the nets, there’s also the threat from outside of keeping predators away from the nets. Its high knot-strength, together with the high bite-, cut- and abrasion resistance make Dyneema® fiber the preferred material for the job. Also consider the challenge of moving large offshore cages to more remote areas. The forces on the nets increase and daily inspections may not be possible. Netting made with Dyneema® is outperforming all other fiber based nets in this respect.

 Fishermen active in wild catch have many worries. Fishing quotas, high fuel- and labor costs are a struggle for economic survival. Fishing gear that contributes to increased reliability and reduction of costs is therefore a necessity. Over the years more and more parts of the nets that are normally made out of nylon are being replaced by netting made with Dyneema® fiber. The diameter of netting twines made with Dyneema® fiber is reduced by up to a factor of two, resulting in a huge drop in drag resistance. A boat equipped with nets made with Dyneema® can sail faster, uses less fuel or has a bigger net. In addition to the nets, ropes made with Dyneema® are extensively used as bridles, gilson- and rib lines. Most recently, warp lines made with Dyneema® have also been developed and are being used for trawling. The lightweight ropes replacing steel wire reduce drag and enable near surface fishing. The low elongation enables better control of the net, improving overall flexibility for the captain.